Hauling-in a rope and chain line

Abstract

In a method of hauling-in a rope and a chain interconnected by a coupling link, using a winch for the rope and a wildcat for the chain, the rope is hauled-in on the winch until the coupling link has moved past the wildcat, whereafter the chain is locked, and the winch is reversed to dump the chain on the wildcat and make it form a sling on the side leading to the chain box, whereafter the wildcat is started and the chain is unlocked.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of handling an anchoring or mooring line comprising a rope, a chain, and a coupling link connecting said rope and said chain, in the process of hauling-in, using equipment comprising a rope winch for hauling-in said rope, a wildcat for hauling-in said chain, said wildcat having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation and being placed laterally of said rope winch on the haul-in side thereof, and a chain box for receiving the hauled-in chain, said method comprising the steps of hauling-in the line by means of the rope winch in a path above the top of the wildcat until the coupling link has passed by the wildcat; guiding the chain to a position vertically above the wildcat; locking the chain at a point thereof on the side of the wildcat remote from the rope winch, thereby preventing transfer of the chain force to the rope; paying out rope from the rope winch to lower the chain into contact with the wildcat and to make it depend towards the chain box between the wildcat and the rope winch in the form of a loose doubled up sling; stopping the rope winch; starting the wildcat in the haul-in direction to make it engage the chain and take over the tension therein; releasing the chain from the locking previously mentioned; and hauling-in the chain by means of the wildcat, while keeping the rope winch stationary. 
     
     
       2. A method as in claim 1, characterized in that after a length of rope has been paid out from the rope winch and before starting the wildcat in the haul-in direction the coupling link is positioned such that it cannot get in the way of the chain running off the wildcat during haul-in. 
     
     
       3. A method of handling an anchoring or mooring line comprising a rope, a chain, and a coupling link connecting said rope and said chain, in the process of hauling-in, using equipment comprising a rope winch for hauling-in said rope, said rope winch being in the form of a winch drum with a spooling gear, a wildcat for hauling in said chain, said wildcat having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation and being placed laterally of said rope winch on the haul-in side thereof, and a chain box for receiving the hauled-in chain, said method comprising the steps of hauling-in the line by means of the rope winch in a path above the top of the wildcat until the coupling link has passed by the wildcat; liberating the spooling gear from the normal spooling function during the last part of the hauling-in step and using the spooling gear thus liberated for guiding the rope in such a manner that at the end of the hauling-in step the chain is present directly above the wildcat; locking the chain at a point thereof on the side of the wildcat remote from the rope winch, thereby preventing transfer of the chain force to the rope; paying out rope from the rope winch to lower the chain into contact with the wildcat and to make it depend towards the chain box between the wildcat and the rope winch in the form of a loose doubled up sling; stopping the rope winch; starting the wildcat in the haul-in direction to make it engage the chain and take over the tension therein; releasing the chain from said locked position; and hauling-in the chain by means of the wildcat, while keeping the rope winch stationary. 
     
     
       4. A method as in claim 3, where the winch drum is located near the wildcat, and the spooling gear is of the type comprising two vertical rollers which, upon liberation from the normal spooling function, can be moved independently of one another, characterized in that upon liberation of the vertical rollers from their normal spooling function that one of these rollers which is closer to the median vertical plane of the wildcat is moved away from the chain to a position on the side of said plane opposite to that on which the rope is being hauled-in at the moment, whereafter the other one of said rollers is used for pressing the rope towards said plane to position the rope therein towards the end of step (a), whereafter said other one of said rollers is retracted or set free to permit the coupling link to pass between the vertical rollers of the spooling gear and, if required, onto the winch drum in the final stage of step (a). 
     
     
       5. A method of handling an anchoring or mooring line comprising a rope, a chain, and a coupling link connecting said rope and said chain, in the process of hauling-in, using equipment comprising a rope winch for hauling-in said rope, said rope winch being in the form of a winch drum with a spooling gear of the type comprising two vertical rollers which upon liberation from the normal spooling function can be moved independently of one another, a wildcat for hauling-in said chain, said wildcat having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation and being placed laterally of said rope winch on the haul-in side thereof, and a chain box for receiving the hauled-in chain, said method comprising the steps of hauling-in the line by means of the rope winch in a path above the top of the wildcat until the coupling link has passed by the wildcat; liberating the vertical rollers from their normal spooling function towards the end of the hauling-in step; moving the one of these rollers which is closer to the median vertical plane of the wildcat away from the chain to a position on the side of said plane opposite to that on which the rope is being hauled-in at the moment; pressing the rope towards said plane using the other one of said rollers to position the rope therein towards the end of the hauling-in step; retracting said other one of said rollers to permit the coupling link to pass between the vertical rollers of the spooling gear; locking the chain at a point thereof on the side of the wildcat remote from the rope winch, thereby preventing transfer of the chain force to the rope; paying out rope from the rope winch to lower the chain into contact with the wildcat; continuing said paying out step and at the same time using one of the vertical rollers for guiding the rope in such a manner as to move the coupling link to a parking position outside the median vertical plane of the wildcat; continuing further said paying out step to make the chain depend towards the chain box between the wildcat and the rope winch in the form of a loose doubled up sling; stopping the rope winch; starting the wildcat in the haul-in direction to make it engage the chain and take over the tension therein; releasing the chain from said locked position; and hauling-in the chain by means of the wildcat, while keeping the rope winch stationary.